A. HOME

The San Diego Regional Japanese Speech Contest will take place
on March 20, 2016 at 1:00 PM. This annual event aims to foster a deep
understanding of Japan and its culture through the study of the Japanese
language and by offering a place for local high school, community college, and
university students to exhibit their Japanese language proficiency. Further,
this event serves to connect students of the Japanese language so that they
might forge bonds amongst themselves and encourage each other's study.

In 2015, the Contest Committee and Niigata Seiryo University teamed up
with the San Diego Japanese Speech Contest in order to offer both a plane
ticket to Japan and a one-month homestay-included cultural immersion trip as an
additional prize for the winner of the college portion of the contest. 2015's
winner enjoyed a tremendous experience in Niigata prefecture and came back to
the US in July all-smiles. With great pleasure, we would like to announce that
the 2016 contest plans to once again feature this additional prize. Among the
judges expected to grace our panel for the 2016 contest are the Consul General
of Japan, head judge and UCSD professor Eiko Ushida, and high school teacher
Kyoko Shoji from Los Angeles's Notre Dame High School.

The requisites for entering this contest are the following:- Be
a student at a San Diego area university, community college, or high school. -
Have learned Japanese through school/self-study rather than, for example,
through having a Japanese speaking household or having lived in Japan. etc. More details will be announced later this year!

The top 3 finalists from the high school division will receive eligibility to apply for the Aurora All-USA High School Japanese Speech Contest hosted by the Aurora Foundation. Please read the guidelines carefully. We look forward to receiving the application from many of you!!
Registration:12:30 Time: from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm Place: La Jolla Riford Library Website: http://lajollalibrary.org/
Address: 7555 Draper Ave, La Jalla, CA 92037
Phone: 858 552 1657
Parking: The library has a limited parking lot but there is street parking throughout the neighborhood – just check for signage. For instance one side of Draper Ave is all day but the other side is only two hour parking. If you prepare enough time parking won't be a big problem. However, car-pooling is highly recommended.
About Parking, driving and the Library neighborhood: Normally during rush hours, there is a traffic on La Jolla Parkway and Torrey Pines Road till Gerald, but it's Sunday lunch time, so it should not be too bad. Also there are many cute dining places around the La Jolla Riford Library. The Library is old compared to Carlsbad library which is currently under construction, but the staff members at La Jolla library are very nice! We are sure we will have a great time!

Unfortunately there will not be anyone at the building before noon to let you in. Very close by there is a Vons supermarket that has public restrooms and across the road from the Vons is a Starbucks coffee place with public restrooms - plus you can get a coffee!

Pannikin Coffee and Tea also has restrooms and is just up the road (corner of Girard and Pearl Street): 7467 Girard.There are also public restrooms available at Ellen Browning Scripps Park by the La Jolla Cove.

Naomi Okumura Hobbs was born and raised in Tokyo, Japan. She earned her Music Degree at Musashino Music University in Tokyo, where she also taught for ten years. In 1998, one year before she moved to San Diego, she performed Rachmaninoff's Second Piano Concerto with the Kanagawa Philharmonic Orchestra. In 2012, she was the first prize winner of the Professional Division of the 7th international Piano Competition in Mexico, and in this year, Naomi became the gold medalist of 6th Seattle International Piano Competition.

Joseph Almahaya (Yokoyama), a native San Diegan, is a classically trained singer, and a professional in the field of musical theater. Joseph holds a Bachelor of Music Degree in Vocal Performance and a Master of Fine Arts Degree from the elite M.F.A. in Musical Theater Program from San Diego State University. His love of musical theater has not only allowed him to perform on many local stages here in San Diego, but composed by the iconic David Foster. Joseph's debut Japanese-language album, Memory of Love is available this winter.https://sites.google.com/site/oshirasesalon/96---2-piano-concert

Bathroom near the library in case you come hours before the registration:

Unfortunately there will not be anyone at the building before noon to let you in. Very close by there is a Vons supermarket that has public restrooms and across the road from the Vons is a Starbucks coffee place with public restrooms - plus you can get a coffee!

Pannikin Coffee and Tea also has restrooms and is just up the road (corner of Girard and Pearl Street): 7467 Girard.There are also public restrooms available at Ellen Browning Scripps Park by the La Jolla Cove.